Guest Post: How Massage Therapy Can Help Highly Sensitive People

By Dr. Brent Wells, D.C.

It can be difficult to be a sensitive person: someone who responds to the world with strength, understanding and healing. In society today, sensitive people are pushed aside as too weak. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. However, if you’re a sensitive person, it’s important to take special care of your body and mind.

Keeping your mind and body in shape requires thinking intentionally about how you care for yourself. If you’re looking to create a sensitive-friendly lifestyle, one key part is massage therapy. Signing up for a regular massage therapy appointment is an excellent way to schedule “you time” and receive the benefits of massage therapy.

The best aspect of massage therapy is the way it enhances your sense of calm and inner strength. Don’t just take our word for it – new studies show real physical and mental benefits of massage therapy. Today we’ll look at these advantages and how they can boost the strength within a sensitive person.

1. Reduce stress and anxiety

First of all, massage therapy can help a sensitive person because of its link to relaxation and stress reduction. Because sensitive people are attuned to many emotions around them, staying calm and centered is especially important. If you’re struggling to reduce your stress and find your balance, massage therapy can help.

The science behind relaxation involves two different effects. During massage therapy, the therapeutic power of touch lowers your blood pressure. This happens because blood flow is promoted in the affected area by stimulation and your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to pump it. However, high blood pressure is a symptom of stress, which means that by lowering it, you feel more relaxed and less anxious.

The environment of massage therapy also induces feelings of calm. Generally speaking, massage therapy helps keep muscles loose and flexible. Studies looking at electrical activity found that muscle activity was reduced by 25% during massage therapy, which means that patients felt calmer than normal. For sensitive people, this kind of therapy can be extremely beneficial and allow you to reach a new state of relaxation.

2. Reduce areas of pain

Massage therapy is also a great outlet for reducing pain and boosting flexibility. Sensitive people often show sensitivity in their bodies, which means that pain spots and tension are common. Massage therapy is good at getting these knots out of your muscles and reducing your feelings of discomfort. It’s also known that massage therapy can speed up recovery times in the case of injury and help pain areas in general. If you’re a sensitive person with a body that responds easily to your environment, massage therapy can help balance your body better.

Besides pain, massage therapy is good for preventing headaches. In particular, tension headaches, which result from tight and tense muscles, are easily relieved by massage therapy. In a recent study, massage therapy reduces migraine symptoms; those who received massage therapy felt less pain, better sleep, increased serotonin and less stress. This is good news if you’re a sensitive person who struggles with headaches, as you can reduce headache frequency and pain levels by getting regular massage therapy.

4. Find power positions

Massage therapy is also great for straightening up your posture. For a sensitive person, this is important because posture is linked to strength. “Power poses,” as they’re called, are great for balancing your body and bringing energy to your position. In studies, these power poses have shown to give you boosted confidence in front of others. Massage therapy can enhance your body confidence by improving your posture, relieving muscle tension and correcting alignment. Getting your body balanced and strong can only help a sensitive person.

5. Help you get to sleep

In addition, massage therapy is great for improving sleep. Sensitive people may have trouble getting deep, restful sleep. Luckily, massage therapy has been shown to improve sleeping patterns and relieve insomnia. Given that massage therapy promotes relaxation, this isn’t too surprising. However, if you struggle to sleep well, or you’re dealing with anxiety at night, it’s essential to get regular massage therapy so that your body and mind are better able to readjust and balance during the night.

6. Get the holistic picture

Finally, massage therapy is a holistic practice that looks at every element of your body and mind. A professional massage therapist will look at the bigger picture and improve all areas of your health so that your body is balanced the best way possible. A sensitive person can benefit highly from the care plan that a massage therapist creates, including therapies, diet, supplements, exercise and stress reduction. By considering every aspect of your health, massage therapists leave no stone unturned. This can help boost your wellbeing in the long run, preventing problems before they even begin.

In the end, the inner strength of a sensitive person can be enhanced by massage therapy and its ability to reduce stress, reduce pain, prevent headaches, search for power positions, help you sleep and provide a holistic view of health. If you’re looking for a suitable massage therapist, be sure to research the therapist’s practices and clients, and find out if his/her care plan includes the points mentioned above.

As you continue to grow and evolve as a sensitive person, massage therapy can a good tool to keep your body and mind balanced and healthy in the long run.

About Dr. Brent Wells

Dr. Brent Wells is a graduate of the University of Nevada where he earned his bachelor of science degree before moving on to complete his doctorate from Western States Chiropractic College. He is the founder of Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab, the ultimate Anchorage chiropractor near you. He became passionate about being a chiropractor after his own experiences with hurried, unprofessional healthcare providers. The goal for Dr. Wells is to treat his patients with care and compassion while providing them with a better quality of life through his professional treatment.